Chapter 61 Religious Innovation (Part 1)

The Palace of China.

"... Except for the Chinese Christian Association, the Anglican Church has the largest number of people. At present, it is roughly estimated that there are no less than 1.6 million people. It is probably because the Anglican Church of Britain has been using Sino-British cooperation to preach in China, and people in China have a good impression of Britain... However, this sect uses the British king as religious leader, which has led many religious people to have many doubts. Especially in the Sino-British disagreement in the Sino-British period, many people are worried that His Majesty, our emperor, will be furious, and he will leave the sect..."

"There are about one million Baptist people in the United States, and it is still increasing. This faction is roughly evangelical Puritans and the largest church in the United States."

"The Congregational Church and Reformed Society in the United States have about 800,000 people. The Congregational Church is an opposition to the Anglican Church of the British, and the Reformed Society belongs to the Protestant Church of the United States and the Dutch immigrants. In addition, the American Presbyterian Church and others have a certain influence."

"The influence of Lutherans in China is increasing, especially recently Germany has a good domestic image. The German church is sending extra life to strive to achieve great success in China..."

"The Catholic Church suffers some losses. The French were originally the main force of Catholic missionary in China, but they had no choice but to fight with our army in Annan twice, but they were defeated. The Chinese people have always despised the legal person, so the original Catholic believers have become the sect one after another, and the Catholic Church declined in China..."

"There are about one and two million Orthodox believers in the newly entered region. It turns out that the priests of Tsarist Russia are also applying to re-define the diocese, and even hope that the imperial government will prevent the introduction of other religions, which has been harshly rejected..."

...

"In terms of Islam, the most important thing in China is Sunnis, and the number of Shiites is very small. However, in recent years, the population of minorities in the northwest has been small. Even if Luzon and new provinces are added, there are only seven or eight million Islamic believers..."

...

"At present, Islam is the most stubborn, most aggressive, and has an adverse impact on the imperial ruling order. The church is the most stubborn and has a strong influence on the imperial ruling order. The church has strict rules and many clergymen are hereditary. It has high prestige among believers, has cumbersome religious etiquette, and has the strictest requirements, which kills people's independent thoughts the most."

"The second is the Anglican Church of England. The association takes the British king as the religious leader and has a relatively strict religious organization. At present, the relationship between the empire and the United Kingdom is subtle. I'm afraid that British missionaries may not be simple-minded..."

"Then there is the Catholic Church, which is conservative, the French have too much influence, and are affiliated with the Vatican Church. They have always been ambitious about Chinese missionary and try to impose their faith..."

The meeting had dispersed, but Zheng Yu left behind Minister of Interior Li Hanchang.

Some things are too subtle and complicated, and should not be discussed on the desktop too early.

Li Hanchang was originally Zheng Ying's secretary, and after hearing about it for many years, he was released from office. In Zheng Ying's opinion, after being a secretary for a long time, most of the people will have some problems of being cautious in doing things and relying too much on harmony. They will inevitably give their preferences and lack creativity and courage.

However, Li Hanchang started as the mayor of Haiphong, and he performed well and even had courage. He remembered some of Zheng Ying's teachings, and gradually gained Zheng Ying's reliance, and became the current Minister of Interior. He spent most of his time in charge of local governments where ethnic groups live, and was very insightful in dealing with issues such as ethnic and religion.

Earlier, Zheng Yu arranged the plan to deal with ethnic and religious issues, and used the census during the wartime control period to conduct a more thorough survey and summary of ethnic and religious issues.

For any country, especially a great country where multiple cultures coexist, nation and religion are really the most sensitive, complex and important issues.

Zheng Yu, who came from later generations, knew the pros and cons of certain ethnic and religious policies, and was also very clear that various internal disputes and conflicts in countries around the world often originated from these two major issues.

China was originally unable to be considered a religion as a state religion. Although Confucianism had some religious characteristics at the stage of Politics and religion, it was still a little worse for the worship of supernaturalism. Moreover, it lacked the "popularization" color of Christianity and Islam among the people, and it was more of an order that the country generally recognized. Because it was too secular, when the dynasty changed in the year of Sino-Japanese War and the country carried out a comprehensive cleansing of poison from top to bottom, at least on the surface, it quickly became an unavoidable rag toy.

Whether it is Buddhism or Taoism, it is not really popular in China. Religious thoughts and transactions also determine that Buddhism and Taoism are basically non-aggressive religions (except the Zhenyan Sect).

But Islam is different from foreign monotheistic religions like Christianity.

Later Islamic terrorism, fanatical jihad, Iran-Iraq War, which mobilized slogans, years of entanglement between the United States and Islamic fundamentalists, and even the ups and downs caused by extremist religious elements in some countries using religion to mix nationalism, all made Zheng Yu realize that some religions are really a poisonous arrow for China, and if they are not handled properly, they will cause wounds to ulcerate.

As for Christianity, although its various variants greatly reduced their aggression after the Enlightenment, the natural fanaticism and exclusivity of the monotheism worship made this religion often break the social structure.

As the Christian doctrine has repeatedly preached, a believer against a non-believers either encourages him to enter the religion or has a relationship with him that is light and dark. All equality and fraternity belongs only to Protestant believers, not to other creatures. Only those who believe in God are brothers.

This strong aggression and exclusivity allowed Christianity to spread rapidly with guns and cannons. When it became mainstream, it would naturally force marginalized non-congregations to join the church obediently to "share the benefits of Protestantism". In Zheng Yu's opinion, the persuasive and heuristic gatherings of believers often have the same effect as pyramid schemes.

He does not deny that there are many elements in these religious doctrines that teach people good, nor does he deny the role of reformed Christianity in promoting the process of Western modernization. But the question is, what will these religions bring to China's complex, huge, and eastern society in the future? What changes will the unified country created by the adoptive father Zheng Ying work hard to create?

Zheng Yu had to be alert.

This country, which has been carrying the tradition of thousands of years, has just consolidated the order. The collapse of society and the construction of a new order are underway at the same time. The original concept of lunar theory gradually collapses and the social structure changes drastically. The new lunar theory moral system and lunar legal system all need to be continuously developed and improved, and rely on time to strengthen its authority.

In this process, there will be too much loss, emptiness, confusion and even mania. The human mind will naturally look for support in such a confused and chaotic era. If this gap is not filled, various religions and even cults will naturally seize the position.

And how should we judge the impact of these foreign religions on China? Will they bring about civilization progress and order, or will they be ignorant, division and chaos?

"Hanchang, in your opinion, how should I deal with Islam, Christianity and Buddhism?" Zheng Yucai said carefully until Li Hanchang finished speaking, "Although these foreign religions are of great benefit in specific periods, their side effects are really great. Especially Islam is often linked to ethnic groups, and these northwest ethnic groups are mostly unruly people and live by nomadic life, which is really difficult."

"As far as I see, Islam should be banned." Li Hanchang bowed slightly, "This religion has a strong secular nature. Its religious classics themselves build a complete set of social legal and moral systems in the form of religious **. The aggression of the classics is too strong and it is too aggressive to other civilizations. Once you believe in this religion, it is extremely difficult to be assimilated and it is difficult to effectively accept modern civilization. It is not only harmful to others, but also not much benefit to yourself."

"You mean forced abolition?"

Hanchang said, "This religion is too dangerous and is really stubborn. If it is not strictly prohibited, it will leave behind future troubles."

"Hanchang, have you ever thought that if this religion is forbidden, how can the empire deal with itself in the Islamic countries in the future?" Zheng Yu looked at Li Hanchang with a calm tone. "The empire has established a certain influence in Persia and has reached cooperation with the Turkish Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire Sultan has always been the caliph of the Islamic world and the supreme religious leader... If I ban Islam, how can the empire's relationship with these countries, and even Muslims all over the world, including the United States, Britain and France?"

Li Hanchang was slightly stunned and speechless for a while.

"Hanchang, in my opinion, things like religion are just as scattered as other cultural things." Zheng Yu said, "Have you ever thought about improving Islam so that it can remove the drought and preserve the essence while retaining many doctrine forms, and become a Protestantism that is beneficial to the rule of our empire?"

"Protestantism?" Li Hanchang looked at Zheng Yu with a confused look on his face, "What do you mean..."

"As far as I know, there was a Said Ali Muhammad before Persia who claimed to be Babu. He started from Shiite doctrine and compiled a book called "Apocalypse" based on the Bible and the Quran. It had a great influence and even triggered a long-term war with the king's army..."

"You are talking about the Persian Babu religion." Li Hanchang suddenly realized, "That was considered a reform of Islam, claiming that all people are equal, and predicting that a just kingdom is coming. In this just kingdom, there is no restriction or oppression, and all property not Papuans, including foreigners, must be confiscated and all property not included in the Papuans, including foreigners, must be paid. In addition, it also proposed that debts must be paid, legal means limiting the interest on usury, unified monetary system, and improved postal methods, etc. These claims are very attractive to the small merchants, middle class and lower class people who were deeply oppressed by violence in Persia."

"Later, the Babarians' uprising was undefeated, but religion was passed on. The Babarians went into exile to Iraq and split into two factions, one was called the Ali Sect and the leader was Yehai Ya; the other was called the Bahá'í Sect, which evolved into the Bahá'í Sect and became a unified emerging religion with greater and greater influence."

Zheng Yu didn't know that in the 1990s, the Baha'i religion had more than 6 million believers around the world, and it had a global organization - the Global Justice Academy, which was closely organized and became an emerging organization with huge power.

"The founder of the Bahá Isai religion was Mirza Hussein Ali Nuri, who was born in Tehran, Iran. He became a believer of the Bab sect when he was young. After Ali Muhammad was executed, he was arrested for suspected murder of the king. He was released in 1853 for lack of evidence, but was placed in Baghdad, Iraq. Here, he claimed that he was the long-awaited savior Mahdi. In 1863, he further claimed that he was the messenger of Allah, and publicly announced his mission to the monarchs of Iran, Turkey, Russia, Prussia, Austria and Britain, as well as the Popes and clergy, proclaiming himself Bahá'u'llah. From then on, the sect was officially called the Bahá'ís."

Li Hanchang said with a lot of knowledge: "In 1867, he reiterated that he was the Mahdi who Babu predicted and expected to appear. Later, he was exiled to Akha, Palestine by the Ottoman government and died there in 1892. Baha'u'llah wrote a large number of works throughout his life, including (olkitabctlaqdos), also translated the "Aghdas", "The Way of Deep Belief" (ol-lqan), also translated the "Confidence", "The Sutra of the Illusion", etc., the "The Hidden Words", "The Book of the Seven Valleys", and other classics, with a total of more than 100 copies. The "The Most Holy Book" is Baha'u'llah's most important programmatic work and the core of the Baha'i faith. The book clearly declares that the "holy war" advocated by Islam should be banned, and at the same time, no religious disputes are allowed."

Zheng Yu nodded slowly: "It sounds good... This holy war is indeed not a good thing."

"This Baha'i religion is different from Christianity and Islam, emphasizing that the truth of religion is not absolute but relative. Divine revelation is a process of successive development and gradual evolution. The origin of all great religions in the world is divine. Their basic principles are completely harmonious and consistent. Their goals and intentions are consistent and identical. Their doctrines are different angles of the same truth. Their functions are complementary. Their differences are secondary aspects that exist in doctrines. Their mission represents the continuous stage of spiritual development in human society."

"This religion believes that all religions should not be hostile, and religion should not be a factor of disputes and discord, or the root of hatred and hostility. All religions and believers in various sects should be treated equally and tolerantly. The differences in religious sects of people should not be the root of mutual hostility and alienation, nor should it be an obstacle to peace, tranquility and friendly exchanges. The Baha'i religion advocates that people should give up all prejudice and struggle, carry forward their noble morality and friendship spirit, maintain world peace, and achieve world harmony."

"The Baha'i religion does not deny other religions. They believe that Allah is the true God worshipped by all religions. Since the beginning of the era, God has begun to send a series of prophets or entourages: Abraham was followed by Moses, Moses was followed by Jesus Christ, and then Mohammad. The modern manifestation of the world is Baha'u'llah. Other entourages, including historically recorded or forgotten, play an important role in the divine planning. There are also some "covenants" with high status, which are the agreement between God's prophets and believers. Each revelation is unique, including some social customs and the authority of religious groups. In the current era, Baha'i regards Baha'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i

"The Baha'i religion believes that the various eras of human society evolve and develop in sequence and cycles. When an old era ends, a new era will inevitably come, and a new era will definitely surpass the old era. Each era has its own special system and law. When the old era ends, the old system that is suitable for the era will be abolished, and the old laws must be replaced by new laws and new systems. However, new laws and new systems cannot be formulated by ordinary people, but the "new prophet sent by Allah must be "new prophets sent by Allah.

"Come to make it. Moses and the Old Testament, Jesus and the New Testament, Muhammad and the Quran are all products of different eras and have represented different eras. Now, the era of Muhammad and the Quran has ended, and Bab is the pioneer of the new prophets who appeared in this old era. The Book of Revelation is a collection of laws and institutions of the new era, a classic that replaces the Quran and is above everything else. Everything in the existing world should be measured in accordance with the Book of Revelation, and all laws and institutions should be re-established according to it."

"Keep up with the times?" Zheng Yu touched his chin, with a playful look, "It's interesting..."

"Yes..." Li Hanchang bowed slightly, "The Baha'i faith believes that human beings have the 'spirit of reason'. Everyone has the obligation to recognize God through the prophets and obey their teachings. Through cognition and obedience, serving others and pray regularly and learning the classics revealed by educators, the soul can be closer to God. This is the ideal state of spiritual life in the Baha'i faith. After a person dies, the soul enters the next world, and the spiritual development of man in the material world determines his progress in the soul world. Heaven and hell are only symbols of the degree of closeness with God, and there is no reward or punishment in the meaning of the material world after death. The religion emphasizes that, as the supreme being, Allah is absolutely existing and supernatural, so people cannot directly know Allah... The second messenger of Allah is coming, and his mission is to guide a peaceful and prosperous era."

"The religion denies the religious homework and teachings stipulated in Islamic law, especially advocates that Islamic homework should be completely reformed, and rituals should be simplified, and does not have to be carried out at the prescribed time and place, nor does it need to be carried out collectively. Believers can worship freely. Fasting does not take 30 days, only takes 19 days in the last month of each year."

Chapter 61 Religious Innovation (Part 1)

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